Victorian teachers turn spotlight on plight of public schools

Victorian public school teachers, teachers’ assistants, and principals walked off the job on March 24 for the first time in 13 years, protesting pay rates that ranked among the lowest in Australia. With salaries ranging from $79,589 to $129,554, two-thirds of teachers reported plans to leave the profession within five years due to dissatisfaction. The strike followed a year of negotiations where the state government initially offered just a 17% pay rise over four years—half of what the Australian Education Union (AEU) demanded. An in-principle agreement was reached on April 5, granting teachers pay rises of 28.3–32.4% over four years, aligning their earnings with those in New South Wales. The deal also includes measures to reduce unpaid overtime, with teachers averaging 12.4 hours and principals 17.5 hours weekly. However, experts like Professor Lucas Walsh of Monash University argue the pay increase only scratches the surface, citing systemic issues like ‘invisible labor’—the unpaid administrative and emotional demands of teaching—and the concentration of disadvantaged students in public schools. The strike underscored broader funding gaps in Victoria’s education system, with the state government forgoing $2.4 billion in potential funding for its poorest schools. Critics, including former Labor adviser Kos Samaras, blame years of underinvestment, tracing the problem to the transition from the previous Liberal government in 2014. Despite Premier Dan Andrews’ 2014 campaign promise to make Victoria ‘The Education State,’ classrooms remain crowded, and facilities are deteriorating. The AEU’s survey of over 10,000 teachers revealed widespread burnout, with many citing unsustainable workloads and inadequate resources. While the pay deal marks progress, Walsh warns that deeper reforms—such as addressing residualization (the clustering of disadvantaged students in public schools) and reducing out-of-pocket costs for families—are still needed to stabilize the sector. The strike and subsequent agreement have drawn national attention to Victoria’s education crisis, forcing policymakers to confront long-neglected structural challenges.